Secretary of the Board of Trustees selected

Nakia White Barr has stepped in as secretary of the Michigan State University Board of Trustees. Barr replaces Bill Beekman, long-time secretary of the board, who was appointed as athletic director on July 16.

“I am delighted to recommend Nakia Barr for an appointment as secretary of the MSU Board of Trustees,” said MSU Interim President John Engler. “She will immediately assume that role and her appointment will be finalized by the board at the Aug. 31 meeting. She has impeccable credentials with a no-nonsense approach to issues. She has been a valuable legal resource during this transition and I’m pleased she is stepping forward into a more formal role.”

Barr joined the MSU Office of General Counsel in 2014 where she focuses on commercial transactions, governance and government relations. She is also an adjunct professor at the MSU College of Law teaching contract drafting.

“I am excited to fill this key role and serve the university in this new capacity,” said Barr. “I look forward to working closely with the President’s Office and Board of Trustees to accomplish their goals.”

As secretary of the board, Barr’s duties will include administrative responsibilities for board meetings, university ordinances, policies and courtesies.

“I’ve known Nakia for several years and have been impressed with her ethics and work product through her interactions with the board,” said Brian Breslin, chair of the MSU Board of Trustees. “She is an excellent choice as our new secretary of the board. She has big shoes to fill in Bill’s departure, but we are confident that her transition will be smooth and that she will rise to this new challenge in her career.”

Prior to joining MSU, Barr worked as a real estate attorney in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. She was also a municipal attorney in New Jersey including serving as chief municipal prosecutor for the City of Trenton.

Barr is a graduate of the University of Maryland at College Park and Harvard Law School.

MSU will host 72 high school teams in Jenison Field House on Sunday, Feb. 24, for the 2019 Michigan VEX Robotics State Championships. Around 500 of Michigan's top STEM high school students will participate.